Bombing of Singapore (1944–1945) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bombing of Singapore (1944–1945) |
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| Part of the Pacific War, World War II | |||||||
 Admiralty Floating Dock IX at Singapore Navy Base during March 1941. This dry dock was the target of two USAAF raids in 1945 |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States United Kingdom |
 Japan |
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| Units involved | |||||||
| XX Bomber Command No. 222 Group RAF |
Anti-aircraft artillery and fighter units | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 9 bombers destroyed | Damage to naval, dockyard and oil storage facilities At least four ships destroyed and 11 damaged |
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The Bombing of Singapore (1944–1945) was a series of air attacks by the Allied forces during World War II. From November 1944 to March 1945, long-range bombers from the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) carried out 11 air raids on Singapore, which was then controlled by Japan. Most of these attacks aimed at the island's naval base and ship repair facilities. Bombers also dropped naval mines in the waters nearby.
After the American bombers moved to a new location, the British Royal Air Force took over the minelaying operations near Singapore. These continued until May 24, 1945. The raids had mixed results. They caused significant damage to Singapore's important naval base and commercial port. However, some attacks on these targets were not successful, and others on oil storage facilities near Singapore did little harm. The minelaying campaign did disrupt Japanese shipping, sinking three ships and damaging ten others, but it wasn't a decisive blow. The Allied air attacks did boost the spirits of Singapore's people. They saw the raids as a sign that their city would soon be freed. Not many civilians were killed, though some workers died during attacks on military sites. One attack left hundreds of people without homes.
Contents
Why Singapore Was Attacked
Singapore's Importance Before the War
After World War I, Britain built up the Singapore Naval Base at Sembawang. This was part of a plan to stop Japan from expanding in the region. The base became one of the most important facilities in the British Empire. It included a large dry dock called King George VI Graving Dock and a floating dry dock called Admiralty No.IX.
However, British forces in Malaya and Singapore were quickly defeated when the Pacific War began. Singapore surrendered to the Japanese on February 15, 1942. Japanese planes had already bombed Singapore several times during the Battle of Malaya and the Battle of Singapore. These attacks caused many civilian deaths.
Japanese Control of Singapore
The Singapore Naval Base was not badly damaged during the fighting in 1941 and 1942. It became the most important base for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) outside Japan. Many local civilians worked at the base, just as they had under British rule. However, the Japanese Navy treated them very harshly.
In 1944, the main Japanese fleets, the Second and Third Fleets, moved to Singapore and the nearby Lingga Islands. They did this to be closer to their fuel supplies. These fleets included most of Japan's remaining battleships and aircraft carriers.
Weak Japanese Defenses
Singapore's defenses were not strong. In early 1945, the Japanese air defenses had only a few anti-aircraft guns and a small number of fighter planes. Some of the anti-aircraft guns were even operated by local helpers. The Army and Navy did not work well together, which made the defenses even weaker. They also lacked important equipment like radar and barrage balloons. Night attacks were especially easy for the Allies because there were no night fighters near Singapore.
American Bomber Command
In June 1944, the USAAF's XX Bomber Command started flying B-29 Superfortress bombers from bases in India. Their main job was to attack factories in Japan. But about half of their missions supported other Allied operations in the Pacific. The XX Bomber Command reported directly to the USAAF commander in Washington, D.C., General Henry H. Arnold.
After Japan lost the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944, their remaining navy ships gathered in two groups. One group went back to Japan, and the other stayed at the Lingga Islands near Singapore. General Arnold thought Singapore's naval facilities were now more important. He asked if XX Bomber Command could attack them. On October 30, a B-29 flew over Singapore and took good photos. Despite the long distance, Arnold ordered XX Bomber Command to attack Singapore.
Air Raids on Singapore
First Attack
The first raid on Singapore happened on November 5, 1944. XX Bomber Command sent 76 B-29s from India. Because the flight was so long, each plane carried only two 1,000-pound bombs. The main target was the King George VI Graving Dock.
The first B-29s arrived over Singapore Naval Base at 6:44 AM. Their bombing was very accurate. Bombs landed very close to the dry dock's gate and directly hit the dock itself. This made the dock unusable for three months. A 465-foot freighter being repaired in the dock was also damaged. Many civilian workers in and around the dock were killed. The bombers also damaged other parts of the naval base. In total, 53 Superfortresses bombed Singapore Naval Base. Only two B-29s were lost due to accidents. This was the longest daylight bombing mission ever at that time.
Later Bombing Missions
The next raid on Singapore was in January 1945. The Allies heard that Japanese warships damaged in the Philippines Campaign were being repaired in Singapore. So, 47 Superfortresses were sent from India to attack the Admiralty IX Floating Dock and the King's Dock. These planes took off around midnight on January 10 and arrived over Singapore on January 11.
Only 27 planes hit the docks. Japanese warships in the Straits of Johor fired heavily, and the bombers did not cause any damage to the docks. Two B-29s were lost during this mission.
In January 1945, XX Bomber Command began moving to the Mariana Islands. They stopped attacking Japan and focused on targets in Southeast Asia that could be reached from India. Since there were few factories, they focused on attacking ships in major ports like Rangoon, Bangkok, and Singapore. They used both bombs and naval mines.
XX Bomber Command carried out a large bombing raid on Singapore Naval Base on February 1. On this day, 112 B-29s were sent, each carrying four 1,000-pound bombs. The main target was the Admiralty IX Floating Dock. 67 of the 88 planes that reached Singapore bombed this target. This attack sank the dry dock and destroyed the 460-foot ship inside it. The other 21 planes that attacked Singapore bombed the West Wall area of the naval base. They destroyed many buildings and heavy equipment there. One B-29 was shot down by a Japanese fighter, and another was damaged and crashed while landing.
XX Bomber Command planned another attack on Singapore Naval Base for February 6. However, this raid was canceled by Admiral Louis Mountbatten. He was the commander of Allied forces in Southeast Asia. Mountbatten ordered that naval facilities in Singapore and Penang should not be targeted. This was because Allied forces would need them after they planned to free Malaya and Singapore later in 1945. After some discussion, it was decided that certain areas of Singapore could be attacked. These included the West Wall area of the naval base, naval oil stores, and commercial port facilities.
The next bombing raid on Singapore happened on February 24. 116 B-29s were sent to bomb the Empire Dock area at Singapore's southern tip. This was a commercial port. The bombers carried incendiary bombs, which are designed to start fires. 105 B-29s reached Singapore and burned down 39 percent of the warehouse area near the dock. Several oil storage tanks were also badly damaged. Because of smoke, 26 B-29s had to bomb without seeing their targets. This led to poor accuracy and damage to civilian homes and businesses near the dock. Many buildings were destroyed, and the local newspaper reported that 396 people lost their homes. Only one B-29 was lost, crashing on its way back to India.
XX Bomber Command attacked Singapore again on March 2. Only 64 B-29s could be sent. These planes targeted the shop and warehouse area in Singapore Naval Base with 500-pound bombs. 49 B-29s reached Singapore and added to the damage. However, Japanese warships again fired heavily, limiting the attack's success. Two B-29s were shot down by anti-aircraft guns.
The last two raids by XX Bomber Command before they moved to the Marianas targeted oil storage facilities on islands near Singapore. On March 12, three groups of B-29s attacked Bukom and Sebarok islands, and Sambu Island. There were no Japanese anti-aircraft guns or fighters. But bad weather meant the 44 B-29s that reached the target had to bomb without seeing their targets. This caused little damage. The final attack happened on the night of March 29/30. 29 Superfortresses were sent to attack Bukom Island. The bombers attacked individually from lower heights to practice new tactics. This raid destroyed seven of the 49 oil tanks on the island and damaged three more. No B-29s were lost in either attack.
In early August, P-38 Lightning planes carried out several raids over Singapore. Two Japanese fighters were shot down by the P-38s, and two P-38s were shot down by Japanese fighters.
Minelaying Near Singapore
From late January 1945, XX Bomber Command also started dropping naval mines. On the night of January 25/26, 41 B-29s laid six minefields in the waters leading to Singapore. This was the largest air minelaying effort in the Pacific up to that time. On the night of February 27/28, twelve B-29s laid mines in the Straits of Johor near Singapore. Ten of these planes successfully dropped 55 mines. No planes were lost during these missions.
After XX Bomber Command left, the British Royal Air Force's No. 222 Group took over minelaying near Singapore. They used B-24 Liberator bombers. Minelaying stopped on May 24. This was to make sure the mines would not interfere with the planned British landings in Malaya in September. The Japanese set up observation posts to spot the minefields, but they were not very good. Usually, the mines were not found until a ship hit one.
In total, air-dropped mines sank three ships near Singapore and damaged ten others. The minefields also made it harder for Japanese convoys to move and for them to repair ships. However, the Allied minelaying campaign was too short to achieve a decisive victory.
What Happened After
The attacks by XX Bomber Command on Singapore had mixed results. The raids on Singapore Naval Base damaged or destroyed many workshops. They also prevented the Japanese from using the King George VI Graving Dock for several months and the Admiralty IX Dry Dock from February 1945. Also, workers at the Naval Base often did not return to work for some time after each raid. They had to be given better pay, food, and more air-raid shelters.
The damage to the Empire Docks area made it harder for the Japanese to use the port. However, the poor condition of the port also made it difficult for the British to fix Singapore after the war. The attacks on the oil storage tanks on islands near Singapore were less successful. Many tanks were still working after Japan surrendered.
The Japanese military's efforts to defend Singapore from air attacks were not successful. Because the island's air defenses were weak, only nine B-29s were shot down during the American campaign. All of these were during daylight raids. Clearing the mines was also slow. It took three weeks to make the port safe after each Allied minelaying raid.
The air raids on Singapore boosted the spirits of the island's people. They saw the raids as a sign that Singapore would soon be free from Japan's harsh rule. People generally hid these feelings from the Japanese. Many believed the B-29s could not be stopped, and they were happy to see them attack the Japanese whenever they wanted. To fight this idea, the Japanese showed wreckage from downed B-29s and captured crew members. They also showed films of a Superfortress being shot down. But this propaganda did not work.
The Japanese also tried to turn Singapore's Muslim population against the raids. They pointed out damage to a mosque on January 11 and February 24. The February raid happened during the celebration of Muhammad's birthday. This also did not work. Another reason people supported the raids was that the Allies mainly targeted military sites. This meant only a small number of civilians were hurt. The American bombing was seen as very accurate. However, the expectation of more attacks caused food and other goods prices to rise as people bought extra supplies. Japanese attempts to stop this hoarding were not successful.
Images for kids
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The ocean liner Queen Mary in the King George VI Graving Dock during August 1940
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Locations of B-29 bomber bases in India and Ceylon and the main targets they attacked in Southeast Asia
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Primary targets of the USAAF raids on Singapore.
(Note: This map depicts Singapore's modern coastline, not the World War II-era coastline.) -
The oil tanks at Samboe Island (pictured in 1936) were one of the targets attacked on 12 March 1945
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A Royal Air Force motor transport driver surveys damage caused by Allied bombing at Singapore docks, September 1945
